Improvement in axle-gauges



fourths oi' an inch.

'lllntnl guinea JOSEPH BIRKIIIT; OFV TAZEWELL COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

Lettecjs Patent No.' 92,148, dated July 6, 1869.

f IMPROVEMENT A1N,xmlfr-encens.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent andmaking part ofthesaine. l

Be it known that l, JOSEPH BIRKETT, of the county of Tazewell, and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and improved Axle-Gauge, for settingtllinibleskeins ou iron or wooden axles, and for otherpurposes, which1,verily believe has not been before known or used prior to theinvention thereof by me; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operationthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, for'ning partof this specification, similar letters indicating corresponding part-s,in which- ,Figure l is a perspective view.

Figure 2, the complete instrument, on a larger scale.

Figures 3 and 4, the movable and adjustable gauges B C, attaihed to theback piece A;

A represents a board, about thirty six inches in length, and about onefoot wide, having parallel sides,

v and a line or mark, e e, running longitudinally, parallel with theside f j'. l

Another line, g, across it, about tive inches from the left end of theboard, represents the face of the spoke of a wheel.

The space between this line g and the line marked h, represents one-halfof the height ofthe front wheel of a vehicle which it may be desirous togauge.

The space between the line g and the line i, represents one-half theheight of the hind wheel.

B is a strip of wood, or other substance, with par-l allel sides, aboutthirty-six inches long, and live inches wide, and about one-fourth of aninch inv thickness, which is pivoted permanently to the board A, bymeans of a screw or bolt, D, placed about live inches from theleft endof the same.

At the remoter end Of the latter board B, is a slot,- k, through which ath umh-screw (with washer) passes into the back board A, for the purposeof retainingthe board B, when swung to the required rule-mark or gangefA perpendicular scale of inches and fractions of an inch is drawn at theupper left angle of the latter. Another scale, of inches and fractionsof an inch, is awn on the upper edge of the same piece, commencing atthe pivot D, and extending to seven inches, with a second scale, fm, offractions of an inch, vertically across the same, commencing on theupper edge.

C is another parallelogram, of wood, or other convenient material,fourteen inches in length, and three inches in widtlnnlovable over andupon the piece B, by means of slots, and adjustable by convenientthumbscrews, when at the required mark.

A transverse lille, p, crosses the latter piece O, which line niarks theshoulder ofthe box or skein. g

The lines q q q mark the length of various-sized skeins from theirshoulders to the end of the skein.

To use this instrument, lirst measure the dish, or Obliquity of' thespokes with the hub. For example, assume that the dish of the hind wheelis three Then move the piece B upto the tin-ee-fourths-inch mark on `therule t, on the back piece. Then tightenthe thumb-screwj. Next, noteNext, to nd the required taper for Vthe bottom ot' the axle-tree, or,more correctly speaking, the angleV which the bot-tom or under surfaceof the axle-tree, between the point and the shoulder, will form with thegeneral horizontal line of the axle-tree, we proceed as follows:

Measure the diameter of the skein or box, at the shoulder or back end.Assume, for instance, V that it is three inches in diameter. Tlicn takehalt' of three inches; which is one and one-half inch, and move thepiece C until its edge, at the line p, comes one and one-half inch fromthe edge of "the piece B, (at the rule or scale m.) Then, measure thesize of the skein at the point. Say it is two inches in diameter. Thentake One-half of' this diameter, which is one inch. -It' the skein iseleven inches in length, move the piece C so that the upper edge, attheleft end, Where it is marked eleven inches, q, comes even with theone-inch mark on the rule, marked z, of piece B. Then tighten the screw.Then nd the length of shoulder of' the skein. Say it is yfour andone-half inches. Upon this,l measure the distance from the lower edge ofscale, or at the point indicating the length ofthe shoulder ofthe skein,down to the lower edge of piece A. Next, measure the distance betweenthe line indicating the point of the skein, on the'rule q g q, at thelowerredge of piece C, and the lower edge `of piece A, marked b b, b b.Then, the

.ditt'erence between these two distances, bb, b b and a a, aa, indicatesthe height ofthe point, on the end of the timber or axle-tree, at which-to commence the taper, running tothe back end ofthe shoulder of theskein. I

This gauge is infallible for all purposes of this kind, and I claimthata wheel, in order vto run with the least amount oftriction, and, atthe sametime, to

properly carry the load, must be set on the axle iu lents, as and forthe purposes described.

Y JOSEPH BIRKlllTfl.

. Witnesses:

WM. BRYAN, Bauman BAILY.

nding the proper angles for y n

